William Black (soldier)

William Black (30 May 1853-30 June 1872) was a Union Army musician who served in the American Civil War; when he was wounded at the age of 12, he became the war's youngest casualty.

Biography
William Black was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1853, and he joined the US Army's 21st Indiana Regiment when the American Civil War broke out. On 24 July 1861, he enlisted as a drummer boy in Company L, and, at twelve years old, his left hand and arm were shattered by an exploding shell, making him the youngest casualty of the war. He later became a painter in Indianapolis, and he died in 1872 at the age of 19.